CNBC: Millennials are Changing the Pizza Industry

Americans love their pizza—350 slices are consumed every second. And according to a recent article on CNBC.com, millennials are the consumers driving the industry forward.

Data from Pizza Industry Analysis shows that U.S. pizza sales are expected to hit close to the $45 million mark this year, up from $28.5 billion in 2015. The majority of that business comes from millennials—in fact, pizza is largely being consumed by American females. But they aren’t looking for traditional pizza restaurants. Instead, millennials want to be able to customize their pizza experience.

Brian Petruzzi, founder and CEO of 1000 Degrees Neopolitan Pizzeria, spoke with CNBC about the current trend. He said, “Customers want a lot more input into what they’re getting. They want to see that the ingredients are fresh, and they want to be able to customize and make stuff their own. A lot of it is millennial-based. They like having control.”

The fastest growing trend in the industry is the build your own pizza model that was designed after Chipotle. Fresh, high quality ingredients are also popping up on more menus, with customers taking advantage of the option to create their own recipes with a variety of toppings.